Pacific Islands Development Program,
East-West Center With Support From Center For Pacific Islands Studies,
University of Hawaii

The
Pacific Islands

The islands of
the Pacific, with their beauty and romance, have always
gripped man's imagination. Raised above the sea, in wondrous
and spectacular splendour, they shimmer like an oasis. For
those of us in need of solitude and adventure, these
beautiful tropical islands also offer an escape - a place of
refuge, serenity and excitement. In their greenness and
freshness, the islands conjure up visions of unending youth
and a heavenly paradise - crystal sea, sparkling white sand
and surf, golden yellow rays of sunshine - a dawn to night
sky of an array of superb colours - from sapphire-blue to
topaz and turquoise, garnet and ruby to amethyst, citrine,
peridot and emerald to the unique mystique of a
theatrical curtain of exquisite
Tahitian black pearls and onyx, gloriously enhanced by a
galaxy of brilliant starlight diamonds - illuminated and
moonlit by a majestic mother-of-pearl - encapsulated by the
jubilant embrace of delightfully cool prevailing trade
winds. Of these wonderful dream-worlds, it is
Oceaniathat
offers the most beautiful, enchanting and magnificent chains
of pure and natural multicoloured gem-clustered islands.

Jane
Resture's Oceania Page was developed to present and highlight an
extended range of material, along with extensive postcards and picture
galleries presented in conjunction with
Jane's Oceania Home Page. In doing this,
it will allow the visitor to readily access information about
Oceania/Pacific Islands.

As the sun rises over the vast expanse of
Oceania, the daily lives of many of the people of
Melanesia (including
Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, and the Torres Strait),
Micronesia and
Polynesia (including the Polynesian nations of
Hawai'i and
New Zealand), as well as
Australia - mainly the
Australian Aboriginal people - go on as they have for thousands of years.
The fishermen are already at sea; the toddy cutters are already at work and the
men and women are working in their gardens.

The singing of traditional and contemporary
songs can be heard all around from the early morning, until the evenings come
alive right through until late at night. It is this love of traditional
singing passed from generation to generation that binds many islanders together
and forms the basis of much of island cultural heritage and in particular
dancing. Both the songs and the
dance are unique and their performance tells the stories of life and love in a
manner that consumes both the dancers and the audience.

The
traditional life of the people of Oceania is basically uncomplicated.
They are normally happy, highly intelligent, kind, generous and loving
people who have inherited a culture that is ancient, complex, diverse,
very functional and beautiful. Let us hope that through these Web pages,
visitors will be able to enjoy our relaxed and happy lifestyle as well
as our rich and complex cultural heritage.

Thank you so much
for visiting the above four Domains. I am very pleased to be
able to share with you that further limited advertising on these
Domains is available. Potential advertisers are cordially
invited to choose from several thousand Web sites available for
placement of your important advertisements.
It is very pleasing to also share that so many of our visitors
are accessing our Web sites utilizing their iPhones and hence
giving us a much greater visitation and more effective
advertising. Many
thanks with best wishes to all. For further information, please
contact me at:

Music is an integral part
of life on the islands of the Pacific. Indeed, the songs and dances are
woven into the very fabric of everyday life. Life, love, work, play, the
ocean, the gods, the earth itself; they all flow through the
music of the Pacific Islands, as surely as the sand erodes into the
sea.
Pacific Island music is truly the music of the world and is proudly
featured on our four Pacific Islands Radio stations!

Other recent
studies, which included DNA analysis of almost 700 samples from
Aboriginal Australians
and Melanesians, has confirmed the view that Aboriginal Australians
are descended from the same small group of people who left
Africa about 70,000 years ago. After arriving in Australia and New
Guinea about 50,000 years ago, the settlers evolved in relative
isolation, developing unique genetic characteristics and technology.

The migration, thousands of
years later, of the ancestors of the present day Polynesian out of Asia,
brought with it languages and dialects that were essentially Asian in
origin and which developed into the present day languages of Polynesia.
Until recently, archaeologists had believed that Polynesian people came
from Taiwan. Interestingly, recent studies of DNA in Taiwan has
provided some interesting conclusions about the origins of the
Polynesian and Melanesian people.

Certainly, linguistic
studies have pointed to the fact that the Polynesians, undoubtedly the
greatest seafarers in history, have their origins in Taiwan. Of the 23
million people in Taiwan, only 400,000 are descendants from the original
inhabitants. These people originally spoke a language belonging to the
Austronesian group which is unrelated to Chinese but includes the
Polynesian tongues.

DNA studies of the original group found three mutations shared by
Taiwanese, Polynesians and Melanesians, who also speak Austronesian.
These mutations are not found in other Asians and hence suggest that the
Polynesians and Melanesians have their origins in the original
inhabitants of Taiwan. Indeed, genetic studies have now suggested that
the ancestors of the sailors of the great canoes started out further
along the trail in eastern Indonesia.

These seafarers moved
eastward in small groups around the top of the Melanesian archipelago
until they reached Fiji. Using Fiji as a staging area, some eventually
sailed on to uninhabited
Tonga and
Samoa. To have developed the physical types, language and culture
that the Polynesians share in common, these Polynesian forebears must
have been isolated for a time in a home group of islands. A chain of
archaeological discoveries leads us to believe that this isolation
started in the islands of Tonga and Samoa roughly 3,000 years ago.

Beginning in 1909 in
New Britain, archaeologists have found a type of pre-historic
decorated pottery at various Melanesian sites. In 1947, samples were
also excavated in Fiji, Melanesia's easternmost extension. Five years
later the same pottery was uncovered at Lapita in New Caledonia. Now
called
Lapita-style pottery, these artifacts clearly trace the visits and
attempted settlements of a maritime people moving along a Melanesian
route towards Polynesia.

Lapita pottery was
excavated in Tonga in 1963, and has recently been found in Samoa as well
- both in western Polynesia. Tonga is the longest inhabited island group
in Polynesia, with radiocarbon dates as early as 1140 B.C. Thus we
conclude that Tonga's first settlers, the people who made Lapita ware,
were the first true Polynesians. Language ties indicate that this
migration continued via Samoa eastward to the
Marquesas where the oldest sites in Eastern Polynesia have been
found.

Far to the southeast
of the
Marquesas
lies evidence of a truly remarkable feat - a voyage to
Easter Island (Rapa Nui), some 2,400 miles away, in the face of
prevailing winds and currents. Polynesia's easternmost outpost, Easter
Island is not only the most isolated inhabited island in the Pacific,
but it is also only 15 miles long. Assessing its chances of being
discovered by early Polynesians, we can conclude only that their sailing
canoes were already capable of traversing the breadth of the Pacific,
and that on one such voyage, Easter Island was fortuitously sighted.
Radiocarbon dating in 1955-56 indicates its discovery and settlement as
early as A.D. 400.

The sites on Easter
Island show clear evidence, when considered in conjunction with the
archaeology and languages of the Society and Marquesas Islands, indicate
strongly that the pre-historic culture of Easter Island could have
evolved from a single landing of Polynesians from a Marquesan Island.
These Polynesians would have been fully equipped to colonize an
uninhabited volcanic island. Their success in making this windswept
sixty-four square miles, without an edible native plant, not only
habitable but also the seat of remarkable cultural achievements, is
testimony to the genius of these Polynesian settlers.

A study of excavated
adzes, fishhooks, ornaments and other
artifacts indicates that Tahiti and the other Society Islands must
have been settled soon after the Marquesas. Present information
indicates that
Hawaii and
New Zealand
were settled after A.D. 500. Radiocarbon techniques permit us to
assign tentative dates to this entire Pacific migration: entry into West
Polynesia about 1000 B.C., reaching East Polynesia about the time of
Christ, completing the occupation by A.D. 1000.

Having reached the
Pacific's farthest outpost, the early Polynesians possessed the skills
to return. It is doubtful that one-way voyages could account for the
early presence in the Hawaiian Islands, for example, of twenty odd
cultivated plants of Tahiti and the Marquesas. Thus we conclude that the
early Hawaiians repeatedly negotiated the longest sea route in Polynesia
returning to Tahiti and then again to Hawaii, known as "Child of
Tahiti".

The Polynesians in the
Pacific generally occupy an area referred to as the
Polynesian Triangle. The Polynesian Triangle has Hawaii in the
north, New Zealand in the south, and Easter Island in the east. The
lines drawn from
Hawaii to New Zealand bends westward to include the Ellice Islands (Tuvalu)
and passing between Fiji and Tonga. The north to south line forms the
base with its apex on the path of the rising sun, located 4000 miles to
the east. The Marquesas lie almost to the center of the eastern line,
from Easter in the south to Hawaii in the north, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti
and
Cook Islands are surrounded by the triangle. New Zealand, the
farthest south group of Polynesian islands is home to the Maori people.

Almost lost in the
vastness of the Pacific Ocean are the tiny islands, the remarkable
people and the ancient architecture of Micronesia. Across a distance of
nearly 2000 miles, the archipelago of Micronesia encompasses a land area
of only 271 square miles. It is believed that the original inhabitants
of Micronesia came from the Philippines and Indonesia about 1500 years
before Christ. The islands of Micronesia (and Polynesia) collectively
comprise the last major region of the globe to be settled by humans.
Both of these groups of islands were colonized within the last 5,000
years by Austronesian-speaking agriculturists. In the past, linguistic
studies have been a major factor in suggesting the origins of both the
Micronesian and Polynesian people who, in the main, are of medium
stature with straight hair and brown skin.

In a DNA study
undertaken in 1994, head hair in Micronesia was used to obtain DNA
samples. The study was undertaken in order to compare the genetic
relationships of various Micronesian groups to other Pacific Islanders
and Asians and their languages. The study examined DNA that is found
within mitochondria (mtDNA), small cellular bodies that function as the
energy factories and storehouses of our cells. Mitochondria are
inherited from the body of the mother's fertilized egg, and are
transmitted maternally to the next generation. Consequently, this
analysis ignores inheritance from a father.

In general, this study
found that the majority of mtDNA sequences from Micronesian and
Polynesian populations are derived from Asia, whereas others are
inferred to have originated in New Guinea. The data supported the
concept of an Island Southeast Asian origin and a colonization route
along the north coast of New Guinea. The
Marianas and the main island of Yap appear to have been
independently settled directly from Island Southeast Asia, and both have
received migrants from Central-Eastern Micronesia since then. Palau
clearly demonstrates a complex prehistory including a significant influx
of lineages from New Guinea. In addition,
Chamorro mtDNA is very distinctive when compared to other
Micronesians and Polynesians. This suggests that the Marianas have a
different settlement history than the rest of Micronesia. Thus genetic
similarities among Micronesian and Polynesian populations result, in
some cases, from a common origin and, in others, from extensive gene
flow. As well as showing that Micronesians and Polynesians have a
southeast Asian homeland, studies based on DNA contributed by both
females and males to their offspring generally indicate a greater degree
of Melanesian heritage for Polynesians and Micronesians.

The
first European to see the Pacific was Balboa who was
later executed by his political enemies. In 1517, a
Portuguese nobleman named Magellan (Magalhaes)
proposed a route to the Pacific by way of America
instead of the recognized course from South Africa
on the path of the trade winds. On 28th
November 1520, Magellan passed through the southern
tip of America which is now called the Strait of
Magellan and sailed into the Pacific Ocean. Magellan
gave the order for the ships to turn north-east.
After incredible hardship, the first land they saw
was right across the Pacific at Guam in Micronesia.
They went on and Magellan was killed in a battle in
the Philippines. (Click
here for further information about Ferdinand
Magellan's Voyage Round the World)
It was not until the 17th century that Dutch
merchants discovered parts of Polynesia. Tasman
reached New Zealand and Roggeveen landed on Easter
Island.

The
leaders of the early expeditions kept logs in which
they recorded their impressions of those things they
had seen in Oceania. These accounts are interesting
in terms of the descriptions of what they actually
saw, but their interpretations of native culture
were not always accurate. Many of the whalers and
traders who came afterwards did not fully appreciate
and understand the oral literature of our people.
Also, many of the missionaries who followed in their
wake were hypocrites and ignorant zealots who
needlessly destroyed the rich cultural heritage of
Pacific Island people that they did not understand.
Indeed, they were too busy substituting their own
mythology to take an immediate interest in the exact
details of the mythology they sought to destroy.
Island people were given new standards of value in
which their myths and traditions were given no
commercial or spiritual recognition. The continuity
of their teaching was broken.

So much
of the old world created by our island ancestors has
passed away. The stone temples are now in ruins and
the temple drums and shell trumpets have long been
silent. Tane,
Rongo,
Tagaloa,
Nareau
and other members of the divine family of the
Sky-father and the Earth-mother are still with us
even though so much of the regalia and symbols of
our spiritualism have been scattered among museums
around the world.

It is probably premature at this time to endeavour
to draw lasting conclusions on the merits of the
missionaries' intervention into Oceania. Clearly
there have been gains and similarly there had been
losses. Perhaps the gains in the form of education
and language translation can one day be balanced
against the loss in so many important aspects of our
cultural heritage ... let us hope so!

JANE RESTURE'S COMMENTS ON THE
MISSIONARIES' INTERVENTION INTO
OCEANIA

The advent of the missionary
into the island states of Oceania has
had certain effects that even now have
not been fully understood. One can no
doubt sympathise with missionaries who
came to these islands with little more
to offer than their own beliefs. Forced
to learn the language of the people and
to survive in an alien environment would
certainly put their faith very much to
the test. Indeed, their early needs were
in non-religious matters such as
learning the language and teaching the
rudiments of western knowledge to the
local people. It was only after these
things have been done that they were
able to preach the gospel. Indeed, the
missionaries also had to assume the role
of doctors, nurses, teachers and public
works administrators.

Certainly, the strong religious
following in our island society today
are testament to the perseverance of
these early missionaries. Indeed, the
church still continued to have an
important role not only in the religious
education but in the general education
of so many of our people. In many cases,
this has been given generously but in
others in the past it has appeared to
place an unnecessary impost on the local
island communities. Captain Davis, in
1892, was quite critical of many of the
activities of some of the missionaries
on the islands he visited.

While providing useful
documentation, the missionary writings
on the Morning Star could by no
stretch of the imagination be considered
to provide an objective view of island
life during this period. Certainly,
there is a marked lack of balance in
comments made about our island people.
For example, the ruins of Nan Madol,
Pohnpei (Ponape), Federated States of
Micronesia, are considered to be some
form of pagan, heathen temples rather
than the significant place that it holds
in the evolution of Micronesian people.
Indeed, so much island culture had been
destroyed as it was not pleasing to the
missionaries and as such so many of our
children will be deprived of certain
aspects of our culture that were enjoyed
by their forefathers. Perhaps the new
nationalism among island people will go
part or all of the way to restoring
these cultural losses.

It is probably premature at this
time to endeavour to draw lasting
conclusions on the merits of the
missionaries' intervention into Oceania.
Clearly there have been gains and
similarly there had been losses. Perhaps
the gains in the form of education and
language translation can one day be
balanced against the loss in so many
important aspects of our cultural
heritage ... let us hope so!

Certainly, in my case, I would have to admit that it
was my education in a missionary college -
Immaculate Heart College - at Taborio,
Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati, that provided the
basis for my further studies abroad to enable me to
undertake the things that I am presently doing. In
this respect, I would like to acknowledge and thank
the missionaries for this.

What
the future holds may be unclear particularly when
the ocean may claim many of our islands and many of
our people are still under the control of others.
Perhaps by reclaiming our cultural values we can
understand who we are and what the future may hold
for our people of Oceania.

CLICKABLE MAP OF OCEANIA-PACIFIC ISLANDS

Click on the following interactive
map for the country/island of your choice.

Click on the above interactive map
for the Oceania country/island of your choice.

The swaying palms, the gentle surf
lapping upon the sand
A gentle breeze so keen to please slowly gusts across our land
Our island home is all we have known as centuries rolled by
Our island people stood alone on reefs so barren and dry.

But as years go by we wonder why the shoreline is not the same
The things we knew as always true somehow do not remain
The breakers break on higher ground - the outer palms are falling down
The taro pits begin to die and the village elders wonder why.

For what is happening to the beautiful isles we know?
Tuvalu, Kiribati and Tokelau - the Marshall isles, that place of smiles
The rising sea will reclaim our ground - nothing but water will abound
Our people forced to leave for higher ground.

While far away they pour their fumes into the clear blue sky
Not knowing and never caring why the world is beginning to die
So land of our forebears despite how much we cared for you
The time will soon be when we must bid you adieu.